What Would Have Happened? Part X: FTI Confession
by Em Pataki
Summary: What would have happened if Arnold HADN'T let Helga off the hook after she confessed on FTI?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: When This Is All Over

While the idea of being rich easily overpowered the sight of losing her home town, one thing mattered more to Helga.

Her father's dream to improve his business meant destroying the dream of the one she loved. The one who was always there to include her in their group activities, no matter her attitude. The one person who not only believed, but did his best to convince her to find and show the good in herself which he was sure existed.

Now here she was, faced with the dilemma of getting rich off the town or the feeling of proving to her beloved he was right.

An even bigger problem however, why would it matter if she still wasn't brave enough to allow him to know it was her helping him? Should this just be another one of those "I guess we'll never know how it happened" times for him and Gerald?

That question seemed to be answering itself the night Arnold decided it was his last chance to save the neighborhood, while receiving clues from someone named "Deep Voice."

After hearing from him all night, the only thing Arnold was more anxious about than saving the city, was finding out who Deep Voice was.

_FTI Roof Top_

After Arnold spotted who he knew had to be Deep Voice (considering how easily the character was able to help him in the building), the blonde boy went outside, ready to get to the bottom of the _act._

Act, or so he thought. "Helga?! You're Deep Voice?!"

The overwhelmed boy screamed in disbelief.

So he had caught her. That didn't mean she was ready to start pouring out her feelings as to why. Ready or not, he just kept pushing.

"Because why Helga! I want to know why and I want to know right now!" A demand he would surely regret.

Helga was caught; no childish excuse could overcome the truth. "What else are you supposed to do when someone you love is in trouble?!"

Hearing this turned Arnold's mind to jello. Obviously she wasn't serious; he just didn't know how to respond.

"You heard me pal. I love you, love you! Who else do you think has been stalking you night and day, building shrines to you in a closet, filling volumes of books with poems about you? I love you Arnold I've always loved you, ever since I first laid eyes on your stupid football head…"

Arnold continued to back away, as Helga continued on with her confession. By that point, she was so far gone, she didn't care what his opinion of her was. It was just such a relief to have it off her chest. It was as though all that existed was, her, her love, and the moment she was letting him hear the truth.

While Helga went on, Arnold stood with an absurd look, wondering who this girl was? The girl who had tortured him for 6 years, was saying she had basically thought of him as a god this entire time.

Before he could REALLY think things through, he heard "Oh come here you big lug!"

The kiss was as long, yet ten times as passionate as the one in their school play. What was happening? It was crazy enough she was choosing to help save an old, quiet neighborhood over being rich. Now here he was finding out...it was all for him!

"I'm confused, did you just say you love me?"

For a brief moment, Helga was back to her old self, as she shook him and asked "What, are you deaf?!"

The interruption from Gerald didn't help to calm her as he asked "Hey Arnold."

Helga irritably grabbed the walkie talkie and screamed "Not Now!"

All she wanted more than anything at that moment was for him to return her feelings. He didn't need to say anything. She had finally lifted that huge burden from her shoulders; now all she wanted was to be near him.

Letting that out easily tore her mind away from saving their homes. As much of a shocker as it was, it wasn't enough to make Arnold forget. Would he actually bother to stop and consider rather or not he had feelings for her when this was all over, or was that just too big a dream?


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I don't know who that guess was that claimed I'm not following the rules with my stories. When I put "I do not own Hey Arnold or it's characters" on my profile, I assumed all the fans would be smart enough to know that was an easy way of admitting it without having to write it on every story. Apparently not.**

Chapter 2: Let Me Think About This

_Street_

While Arnold was being thanked by everyone in town, Helga was happily marching down the street. After confessing her love to whom she found to be the most amazing boy who ever lived, he saved her from something she feared more than the thought of telling him...rejection.

As she skipped down the street, she realized he hadn't returned her feelings, but he hadn't laughed in her face either. There was still hope things could change; turn out the way she had always dreamed they would. After all, she wasn't lying when she told Arnold how crazy the moment her confession was. Whether or not he meant to, he was pointing her on the spot.

_Boarding House_

After talking to everyone about how relieved they were that everything would stay the same, Arnold walked home with something on his mind. The idea of needing to fix up the neighborhood didn't seem as overwhelming as something that happened when he and his friends were saving it.

The conflicted boy entered the building, not caring to pay attention to the zoo that fled by him. Phil was back inside with his 'Dynamite Crew' and said "Hey there shortman! Looks like everything worked out!"

Arnold took a seat at the table, placing his head in his hands. Phil noticed his disgruntled grandson and replied "If you're worried about the street, Ernie's got plenty of cement down at the quarry. Oscar already volunteered to fix it."

"What are you talking about?" the lazy man whined.

After listening to his neighbors go on, Arnold said "No, something kind of extreme happened while Gerald and I were at FTI."

_Helga's House_

Helga made it home in time to hear her father blabbing about being screwed over, as he had suspected while reading the contract. "I can't believe that cheapskate did this to me!"

Helga rolled her eyes at her father's ungrateful behavior, while she heard Olga say "Don't worry daddy. Even without the new plans, you're still the best, if not the only beeper store in town!"

While Bob appreciated Olga's support, he replied "Yeah, but just think of all the stinkin' work that needs to be done to get the place up and running again! I'm not trusting another weasel like Vermacelli, which means it's all on me!"

_Arnold's Kitchen_

Once Arnold was through explaining what had happened to Phil, he watched his elder do his best not to laugh uncontrollably. When Phil was able to tone his laughter down a bit, he replied "So, she finally confessed. When's the wedding? Hehe."

"Grandpa…" Arnold said in a frustrated tone.

"Oh I'm just messing with you shortman. Seriously though, what'd you say after she told you?"

Arnold began to rub his arm, knowing Phil wouldn't like his answer. What was he supposed to do? Helga had never given him a reason to consider whether or not there maybe a future between the two of them. He couldn't just say "I like you two, right then and there, without having time to think things through."

"I kind of told her I knew she didn't really mean what she said; that it was just the heat of the moment."

"Heat of the what now?" Phil asked, not knowing where his grandson was going with this.

"She seemed embarrassed and I never got to think about how I felt, so I basically let her off the hook." Arnold explained.

Phil shook his head as he replied "Shortman, you may have a knack for fixing this _town's_ problems, but you might want to consider taking some time to work on your own."

_Helga's Room_

Helga went to bed without dinner that night. Her mind was full enough to distract her from her empty stomach. She didn't even feel like saying good night to her closet shrine, or writing a romantic memory of what she experienced with her beloved that day.

Instead, she got under the covers and thought to herself…

_He sure was willing to forget about everything easily. Was that his way of rejecting me, or showing he's no braver than I am when it comes to opening up to someone you have feelings for?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: You Won't Believe It

_Rhonda's Room_

Happy to not be losing her home and rich lifestyle, Rhonda was in her room gazing at her pretty face in her dresser mirror. After brushing her hair, she turned to her friend and practically shouted "You will not BELIEVE what I saw last night Nadine!"

Nadine sat with a perplexed look on her friend's bed. She couldn't imagine anything being more dramatic than the neighborhood being on the verge of being torn down.

"What was it Rhonda?"

_Flashback_

_Walk_

Rhonda was walking down the street with a few bags of clothes from her favorite stores in her hands. While the thought of having a mall put up was exciting, there was no guarantee she would approve of what was being sold. Let alone if it even came close to comparing with the Pre-Teen Miss merchandise she was always so boldly wearing.

_If this mall does not have up to date clothes, I am writing a serious complaint letter to the mayor!_

The stylish girl continued thinking these thoughts to herself until she glanced up above. Not only did she forget about the clothes, but dropped the bags out of her hands.

_End of Flashback_

_Rhonda's Room_

After hearing Rhonda's story, Nadine's eyes lit in astonishment as she replied "You saw Helga kissing Arnold?!"

Rhonda grinned as she gave her friend a more than assured nod and replied "Yes...it was disgusting!"

Being the thoughtful person she was, Nadine asked "Do you think anyone else knows (or should know) about this?"

Rhonda rolled her eyes, knowing Helga would never let news such as this slip. Her reputation for brutality was just as important to her as Rhonda's virtue of style was to her.

Then an idea came to mind…

_Boarding House_

"I'm going to baseball practice grandpa!" Arnold yelled, while running out the door with his glove and bat.

After the flock of pets past him, Arnold saw his best friend waiting and listened to him say "Well, we did it man! We saved the neighborhood!"

Arnold smiled at the thought until he listened to his friend say "Pataki's dad owes us big after saving not only the neighborhood, but his company to go along with it."

Hearing this made Arnold gulp. When he heard the name Pataki leave Gerald's lips, he immediately thought back to his moment with Helga on FTI. Although he was serious about pretending it never happened, that didn't mean she wouldn't at least mention it to someone.

After all, Gerald was always saying "You know there's no secrets between us man." How long would he be able to keep this from him?

_Helga's House_

After not having gotten any sleep, Helga sat in the closet that morning, staring at the new shrine she had made of her beloved. On the one hand, she was given the opportunity to take back what she had always considered to be perhaps an idiotic move.

On the other, she finally found the guts to do it, only to have him suggest they pretend it never happened. Was that a good or bad thing? Sometimes Helga forgot how overly dramatic and exceedingly emotional she was.

It was always HER poetry read in class. Never once had she heard another girl speak about a boy the way she felt about Arnold. She knew girls develop quicker as far as emotions went, and did confess in quite an astonishing way (during an incredibly inconvenient time). She couldn't be too hard on him for being as shocked as he was.

She pondered this until she heard a knock at the door

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hey Helga!"

The emotional girl gritted her teeth as she screamed back at her father "WHAT?!"

"Your little friend Fifi's waiting for you downstairs."

Helga's eyes lit with anticipation when she suddenly remembered they had baseball practice. While she scurried to get ready, Phoebe stayed downstairs to wait on her friend.

_Downstairs_

"It's wonderful you get to keep your home and full credit of your business Mr. Pataki!" the sweet girl said to the cranky man.

"Yeah, yeah, great. You know any customers?" Bob didn't hesitate to ask.

"Well I…" Phoebe sat there unprepared for the question, until she heard "Okay Pheebs let's hit it."

Helga pulled her friend out the door, not caring to say good-bye to her parents, anymore than they cared to see her leave.

_Walk_

"I don't think this is such a good idea Rhonda. It's one thing to have fun with your friends like we're about to do, but this just seems like exploiting them." Nadine insisted, while the two of them made their way to practice.

"Oh hush now. When you think about it, I'm actually doing them a favor. If they're not willing to come out on their own, why not give them the push they need?"

_Gerald Field_

"I sure am glad me and Sid got to keep our 'Sid and Stink' hand prints!'" Stinky said, while tossing the ball around with the other boys.

Sid caught the ball from his friend and replied "Yeah, losing that and the week I spent trying to stay away from germs were the two scariest moments of my life!"

"What about Trash Can Day? Or the day we were on the lam? Or…

"Or the time Helga and I got left behind at the chocolate factory!" Harold interrupted.

"Yeah, what were you guys doing, anyhow?" Sid asked.

"Eating chocolate! I had been looking forward to that trip since kindergarden!" Harold grunted.

The boys looked at each other just as the rest of the crew was showing up. Everyone, except two people that is.

_Copy Stop_

Nadine watched her best friend eagerly make copies for a party she intended to throw for the entire class. One she was going to say was just to celebrate saving the neighborhood, although her intentions were much deeper.

"What if they don't come? They may not want to see each other so soon." Nadine pointed out to her overly anxious friend.

Rhonda continued staring at the decorative coping that were printing out and replied "It's a party Nadine! No one is going to pass up the idea of attending such an event."

_Gerald Field_

After waiting thirty minutes for their last two classmates, Arnold said "I guess we can just get started. Something must have happened."

Helga placed a hand on her waist with a scowl on her face and sneered "Oh how will we ever survive without them."

She then took her place as catcher, and all was well. That is, until her beloved came up to bat. The poor girl couldn't help what he was thinking, or if he WAS even thinking about the incident that took place. As people grow, girls tend to mature quicker than boys. That didn't mean the memory of the situation would leave his mind forever however.

"Hey Helga! Heads up!"

After Helga had ignored the pitch from Harold, she dropped the ball, giving Arnold the chance to safely make it to first.

Everyone on field snapped at Helga and her constant inability to stay focused. Everyone that is, except for Arnold. Helga lifted her mask and looked over at him, not realizing she was blushing.

They were about to continue the game when they heard

"Sorry we're late everybody."

The crew turned to see Nadine and Rhonda holding a stack of invitations.

"What are those for?" Sid asked.

"They happen to be for a party I will be throwing, in honor of saving the neighborhood."

Gerald lifted an eyebrow and looked at his best friend "She says that like SHE was the one who saved it."

"Here you go Helga." The snooty girl reached out, as the tomboyish one snatched it; knowing there had to be some sort of catch to it.

Whether or not there was, seeing the rest of the class paying their full attention to the invitations was her excuse to sneak away from practice.

Arnold couldn't help but glance up and notice Helga running away. Was she leaving because he thought she was, or because she really did have something else to do. I suppose he'd find out at the party. Would anyone else before then?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: 7 Minutes In...

_Phoebe's House_

"That's quite a story Helga; what do you intend to do about it?" Phoebe asked, after finally hearing about Helga's encounter with Arnold on top of the FTI building.

Helga cocked her brow at her best friend's question and asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

Why did anything need to be done about it? Yes it was embarrassing, but why not just wait for _him _to make a move. She had already let out her emotions. Whether or not he believed them, it still had to make him question the idea of the two of them. Why not wait to see if anything is was at least implied from him about his feelings since that night?

"I mean, from the way it ended, it sounds as though he was a bit nervous; you both were. You weren't able to bring yourself to calmly explain the situation and it seems as though he could sense that. Perhaps the stress of the major event you had all just encountered (saving the neighborhood), made him too distracted to think about something so deep as a relationship at that moment?"

_Rhonda's House_

While Helga was pondering her friend's words, Rhonda knew exactly how she was going to handle the party.

"Do you have any plans for tonight Rhonda?" Nadine asked her sly friend.

Rhonda turned to face her friend who was sitting on her bed. As she held a bowl with several sheets of paper in it, she replied "I'm glad you asked Nadine. Here's my plan…

Have everyone except Arnold and Helga pick a number at the beginning of the party

Boys Odd/Girls even. I have the numbers labeled on the outside of the sheets.

When I bring the bowl out, Arnold and Helga will be left with no choice but to be paired together for the game.

Nadine wasn't one to spill the beans on people, but she felt her friend maybe taking things too far. They were just on the verge of reaching the age when people become comfortable exposing their emotions. It didn't seem fair to force them into something they weren't ready for.

"Uh huh. Well then I guess I better get home so I can shower and find a decent outfit to wear." Nadine said, knowing her friend would love the excuse.

"Excellent idea!"

_Walk_

Arnold and Gerald had just finished playing catch in the park. As they were walking back to Arnold's place, Gerald brought up the party. "So, you ready for Rhonda's shindg?"

Arnold shrugged his shoulders and replied "I guess. I don't know what could be different about this one than any of her others?"

The blonde boy stared at the ground, feeling terrible about what he had just said. If anything was going to be different, it was that he would be in the same place all night with the girl who may or may not have been serious about the feelings she confessed to have for him.

Not only that, it was so terrifying, it was keeping him from being honest with his best friend. If they really didn't have any secrets between each other, now would be the best time to say something (in case the worst should happen at the party).

"Gerald, I have something to tell you…"

His friend lifted an eyebrow at the blonde boy's unhappy face and asked "What is it man?"

The two then turned the corner of the sidewalk and bumped into someone...OOF!

Rather than falling to the ground, Arnold shook his head and said "Oh, sorry about that Nadine."

The nature girl store quietly a moment, wondering if this was a sign to let Arnold in on what Rhonda was plotting. Normally, she let Rhonda be herself, and did her best to stay out of things. Something just didn't seem right about it in this case however.

"Uh yeah, listen Arnold, I have some news about the party."

Both Arnold and Gerald listened attentively as he asked "What is it?"

Nadine then looked over at Gerald and asked "Gerald, would you mind if Arnold and I are alone a minute?"

Gerald lifted an eyebrow, wondering what was going on. First Arnold needed to tell him something, now Nadine wanted to speak to him privately.

"I'll catch up with you Gerald." Arnold insisted as Gerald walked away and sighed "Whatever you say Arnold.

Once Gerald made it to the end of the street, Nadine explained to Arnold that Rhonda had seen him and Helga kiss.

Arnold's face began to turn red as he listened to her add "That's not even the worst part."

The blonde boy began to sweat while listening to his classmate add that the party was basically a set up for him and Helga.

"Why would she want to do that?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Nadine then side and said, because she lives for gossip. I guess it's like Helga and Phoebe. Helga's always a jerk to her, but Phoebe knows how much Helga still appreciates what she does for her."

"I get sick of Rhonda's attitude, but we do have a few things in common that we enjoy doing together."

This once again made Arnold think about what he was holding back from Gerald. The troubled boy then sighed and replied "Yeah, well thanks for the heads up."

_Phoebe's House_

"The party will be starting soon. If you're not ready to tell him everything you meant was true, you could at least work on your behavior towards him."

Helga gave a quick scowl that didn't stop her friend from going on.

"Don't play any tricks on him or act disrespectfully towards him. Forget about your reputation for one night, so he had a chance to see the real you."

Helga then smiled as she got up to leave. She patted her friend on the back and said "Thanks Pheebs. See you there."

_The Boarding House_

"So, feel like sharing your intimate conversation?" Gerald joked when Arnold caught up with him.

After catching his breath, Arnold replied "No, but there is another I've been trying to tell you about."

Gerald stopped at the porch and listened to his friend let out a deep sigh before explaining what had happened between him and Helga.

His eyes grew nearly as wide as Arnold's had on top of the roof.

"What the heck man?!"

"I know, and apparently Rhonda is trying to set us up at the party. I don't know if Helga will just stick with her reputation or not, since I let her off the hook."

"Mm, mm, mmm! Talk about 'Love Hurts.'"


	5. Chapter 5

**I Believe I Scared A Few People With The Way I Ended The Previous Chapter, So I Updated and Ended It Here. Hope You Like It.**

Chapter 5: That's Not How To Play

_Rhonda's House_

The high self esteemed girl was humming to herself as she was nearly finished decorating for the party that night. After finishing the snack table, she looked around and said "Perfect! Now I'll just go make myself look perfect."

_The Boarding House_

After Gerald left, Arnold walked inside and heard his grandpa shout from the kitchen "Hey there short man!"

Arnold entered the room with a sorrowful expression as he listened to his grandfather ask "Whoa, what happened to you?"

Arnold took a seat at the kitchen table. With his elbows propped up and his head in his hands, he sighed "I've got a party to go to?"

Phil raised an eyebrow at his grandson's response and replied "I don't follow? It's a party, but you're making the same face you do when you see your little cranky friend with the big pink bow and the one eyebrow?"

Arnold then looked up and said in a higher tone of voice "That's just it! She'll be there!"

Phil then took a seat, still complexed by his grandson's mood and replied "She's at everything you do isn't she? School, baseball, heck I've seen her in front of the house more times than I've seen Pookie in one of her crazy outfits...actually that's not true."

Arnold rolled his eyes as he watched Phil rub his chin to think about the comparison he had just made and replied "I know she's at all my class activities…"

Phil then interrupted and anxiously asked "So what's the problem then?!"

"Grandpa...I told you what happened between us?"

Phil continued to unintentionally snap at his grandson and replied "You said you let her off the hook didn't you? If anything _she _should be worried about seeing you. By the way, that was a really dumb move you made there."

Arnold got up from the table to head for his room and sighed "Thanks grandpa."

_Gerald's House_

Gerald got home and immediately heard himself being called into the kitchen by his father "Gerald!"

"What is it dad?"

Mr. Johanson held up the papers he had spread all over the table and said "You made us go over the limit on our electric bill last month with your cd playing. Because of that I can't allow you to play any for the entire week."

Jamie - O then came in to interrupt as he help up something he found on Gerald's bed. "Entertainment shouldn't be a problem for him dad."

"What are you talking about man?" Gerald asked his annoying older brother.

Jamie - O then waved the invitation in their father's face, hoping to make him nervous about what might happen.

"What's this about a party Gerald?"

Gerald simply shrugged his shoulders and replied "It's just something one of my classmate's is doing to celebrate saving the neighborhood."

"Hmmmm well, as long as it's not here. We're in too much debt as it is." Martin said, not thinking the way Jamie - O hoped he would.

_Walk_

Helga was walking home, thinking about her friend's advice. The least she could do was forget about her reputation for one night; give Arnold a chance to see the girl behind the mask. She was taking a huge risk as far as the rest of the class' opinion of her went by doing this (mainly the boys), but it was the only way to make Arnold see she was more than what she seemed.

Helga made it to her home, knowing she still had a little time left before the party began. The moment she opened the door, she heard "For crying out loud Miriam! Why is there never any food around here?!"

The depressed girl then shut the door, thinking for the first time ever, showing up early at one of Rhonda's parties wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

_Rhonda's House_

Helga felt weird being (what she knew had to be) the first guest at a party for a classmate she wasn't too fond of. Surely that showed how much her family annoyed her.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Coming!" Rhonda eagerly shouted from the other side of the door. When she made it there, she opened it to see the reason for the party standing before her.

"Why Helga! How good of you to come!" Rhonda grinned, as Helga welcomed herself in and replied "Hey Princess."

"I'm so excited you're here…" Rhonda started as Helga began to lift an eyebrow. Since when did Rhonda care to see her? She was only ever invited to the parties that were for the entire class.

"I've prepared a special game for the group. One I think you and one other person will _love!_"

Helga watched Rhonda turn to put the bowl away as she took a seat on the couch and scoffed "Pttss...whatever."

_The Boarding House_

Arnold was leaving when he shouted to Phil "I'm going now grandpa!"

Phil was eating his roast beef sandwich in the kitchen when he replied "Okay. Bring me back some cake!"

The boy then opened the door to see his friend waiting for him. With a smile on his face, Gerald asked "So, ready to be 'set up' with Pataki? What the heck did she even mean by that? Does Pataki know about it?" Gerald began to wonder.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders thinking to himself, if Helga did know about such a thing, there wasn't much of a chance she'd show up. She was overwhelmed when he gave her the out; why would she want attention drawn towards the two of them at the party?

"If she shows up, then I doubt it."

_Rhonda's House_

All the guests started to arrive, not taking into consideration Helga had made it there first. Phoebe went to find her friend, while Nadine was surprised to see Arnold had shown. Perhaps he had already warned Helga about what Rhonda was up to.

_Snack Table_

"This sure is a right keen punch bowl! I can see my own face in the glass!" Stinky said, not considering how many people he was blocking from the table.

"Hey move it would ya! I gotta get to that plate of cookies!" Harold shouted, while shoving his classmate out of the way.

"I'm ever so certain there's enough for everyone! I've also been told we will be playing an oh so special game tonight" Lila informed them…

_Flashback_

Rhonda was in the kitchen when she saw Lila entering the room. "Why hello Rhonda. I'd be ever so happy to help you with anything you need me to!"

Rhonda kept an evil grin on her face as she replied "No, that's not necessary. I will definitely need you when we play the new game I've prepared for the class however."

"That sounds just oh too fun!" the sweet redhead said excitedly

_End of Flashback_

_Window_

Phoebe finally found her friend looking out the window. She approached her and quietly asked "I'm assuming you haven't made an attempt to confront him yet?"

Helga rolled her eyes, knowing Phoebe already knew the answer. "How can I Pheebs? Look at him over there in front of everyone."

"Wasn't that precisely the point of the night? To let your guard down and just be a normal person around him?" Phoebe asked.

_Couch_

Arnold was sitting with his best friend when he looked over to see the two girls they bumped into at practically every street corner, staring out the window.

"Hey Arnold, you okay man?" Gerald asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I was just thinking about Helga. She must not know about Rhonda's scheme since she came, and I was just wondering if I should tell her about it?"

Gerald shook his head and replied "Trust me man, that's NOT a good idea."

Arnold looked perplexed as he asked "Why not?"

"Think about it. You told me how anxious she was to go back to being a bully when you gave her the opportunity. If you warn her about this, it's just going to make her want to be an even bigger jerk to you, to prove there's not a chance in the world she likes you."

"If I don't say anything though, she's going to be just as freaked out as I was...and we were alone when it happened."

"Whatever you say Arnold."

Rhonda began entering the room with her bowl of names as she said "Okay everyone, time for the special game I've prepared!"

The group gathered around as they listened to Rhonda say "Boys pick a sheet with an odd number labeled on the outsde; girls the even. The couple with then spend 7 minutes together havng fun as they please in the closet.

"That sounds a lot like 7 minutes in heaven to me." Stinky said, whle making the comparison.

"That's because it is." Sid inforned him.

Everyone then pulled out a card and saw who their mates were. Everyone that is, except two people.

"You didn't make enough cards Princess!" Helga snapped.

"Oh dear, I guess you and Arnold will just have to be partners." she grinned.

Gerald looked at Arnold, wondering if he could handle this', while Arnold looked at Helga, feeling even worse for her. Few times had he seen her more petrified than this.

Rhonda then grinned before seeing the load of hands rising in the air and the questions pouring out of her classmates' mouths.

"What's 7 minutes in heaven?" Sid asked.

Before Rhonda could explain, Stinky butted in with his guess "Are we really going to heaven?"

"Man that'd be cool! We wouldn't have to take next week's math test!" Sid exclaimed.

Rhonda rolled her eyes as she tried to finish her instructions "No, the game…."

Once again, she was interrupted when Harold asked "There's going to be food in the closet right? The game's not going to be fun without any snacks!"

"Uhhh! No Harold!" Rhonda whined, sick of being interrupted. "You will each be entering the closet with your partner and have 7 minutes to talk with one another."

"Talk? What in the heck for?" Stinky asked.

"Yeah, what kind of party makes you do that?" Sid asked.

The boys all headed for the door. The only two remaining were Arnold and Gerald.

After seeing nearly the entire class leave, Rhonda stormed out of the room as Gerald said "Well, that was some party."

He and Phoebe then headed home together, while Helga watched her best friend walk off without her.

Arnold stood staring at what may or may not be more than his friend now. As he finally saw her head for the door, he listened to her say "Well this party's shot; I'm out of here. See ya football head."

Without thinking about how she had just confronted Arnold, she heard from behind "Hey Helga"

The blonde girl's eyes widened as she turned and stuttered "Yeaaa"

"Can I walk you home"

Helga tugged at her collar and gulped "Uhh sure. I mean, whatever floats your boat football head."

_Walk_

The walk started silently as Helga thought to herself…

_I can't believe he's walking with me….voluntarily! Oh my beloved, so kind and nurturing._

While Helga was still partially in denial, Arnold was quietly wondering to himself what he should say. Surely she hadn't completely wiped FTI from her mind. There was only one way to find out…

"So, about FTI…" he began, as Helga let out the loudest gulp of her life.

"FTI? What the heck are you talking about? Is that even a building?"

Arnold rolled his eyes at her attempt to hide what had happened and replied "I know I must have made you feel rejected by saying you didn't mean all that stuff. I just didn't know what to do at that moment. It was a big night."

Helga remained silent as she listened to him add "Now that I know how you feel though, I'd really like to get to know you better. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you. I know you're a good person."

Helga swooned just as Arnold finished his speech in front of her house. She was speechless. Arnold didn't expect her to say anything; he knew he must have caught her off guard.

He then hugged her and said "I'll see you at school." as he waved goodbye, and Helga merrily pranced into the house. This time not caring about the commotion being made.

_**THE END**_

_**THANKS FOR READING**_

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